Chapter 249 starts with a warning to others.
The emperor's words once again silenced the Taiji Hall. For Ge Xingwen, the Vice Minister of Rites, these words were both a challenge and an opportunity.
The restructuring of Jufeng Money Shop and its trading companies was originally Jiang Yu's job, a lucrative one, and one that the emperor favored. If he did a good job, he might be promoted and reap considerable benefits.
He knelt on the ground, his head slightly turned to the left, where his gaze met that of Prime Minister Pei Chengkun. Receiving the other's signal, he opened the memorial with trembling hands, calmed himself down, and carefully read it.
The more he read, the more alarmed he became; the more his hands trembled, the more he read. Finally, he held the memorial with both hands and said, "Your subject is incompetent."
The emperor gave a heavy snort, "At least you have some self-awareness."
"Your Majesty, I am filled with trepidation." Ge Xingwen quickly kowtowed again.
"Go down." The emperor lowered his eyes and glanced at Ge Xingwen. He made a mental note of this person.
Taking the memorial from Zhao Fuquan, he looked at the officials below and said, "Who else thinks they can handle the task of reforming Jufeng Money Shop and Trading Company? If you volunteer, I will give you a chance today."
Silence fell again. After a while, an official stepped forward and said, "I would like to see the Duke of Chu's reform plan."
The emperor gave him a deep look; it was Gu Jianbai, the Vice Minister of the Secretariat. He then handed the memorial written by Jiang Yu to Zhao Fuquan, who took it, walked down the steps, and handed it to Gu Jianbai.
Gu Jianbai opened the memorial and began to read, his gaze growing increasingly intense with each reading. Having attained the position of Vice Minister of the Chancellery, he naturally wouldn't believe the rumors that Jiang Yu had slept with the Emperor; he believed Jiang Yu possessed some ability. However, he felt that the rumors circulating about Jiang Yu's capabilities were somewhat exaggerated.
Jiang Yu's ability to achieve repeated great merits after entering officialdom was due to the advice and strategies of the Duke of Chu and the Marquis of Anyuan. He and Jiang Yu served in the same Secretariat, and although Jiang Yu's rank was lower, Jiang Yu was highly valued by the emperor. If Jiang Yu were to achieve another great merit and be promoted, to which position would he be promoted?
Jiang Yu is currently the Left Assistant Minister of the Secretariat, a fourth-rank official, while Guan Huayong is the Vice Minister of the Secretariat, a third-rank official. If Jiang Yu is promoted again, it is very likely that he will take Guan Huayong's position. There are two Vice Ministers of the Secretariat, one for each person, and the other for Guan Huayong. Guan Huayong's family is a prominent family in the capital, not the most prestigious, but still far beyond the reach of someone like Jiang Yu from a humble background.
Therefore, if Jiang Yu is promoted, he is very likely to be the one pushed out. Thus, even if he has no grudge against Jiang Yu in the past, he will have to take Jiang Yu's job now.
But upon seeing the contents of the memorial, a sense of powerlessness overwhelmed him. This reform plan not only aimed to bring the Xie family's Jufeng Money Shop and trading companies under the control of the imperial court, but also to monopolize the right to issue banknotes. After the reform, even if other money shops still existed in Daqian, they would no longer have the right to issue banknotes.
This single change would cause an unimaginable sensation and also bring him unimaginable dangers. Beads of sweat began to appear on his forehead.
"Your Majesty, I am incompetent," Gu Jianbai said weakly, holding the memorial in both hands. Some things cannot be accomplished simply by one's own efforts, like this task. If he succeeded, he would be promoted and ennobled, but he knew his own limitations; he could not accomplish it.
The emperor snorted heavily again, then said, "Who else wants to try?"
The officials lowered their heads and remained silent. The emperor felt relieved and leaned back on his dragon throne. "The Duke of Chu is the granddaughter of the old Duke of Chu. With her father above her, it is not her place to observe mourning. Moreover, no one can replace her in what she needs to do. The Duke of Chu does not need to observe mourning."
The emperor had made his final decision, and even those who were dissatisfied no longer raised any objections. Satisfied, the emperor then moved on to the next issue—who should be appointed as the crown prince.
This time, the officials' debate was much more intense, turning the entire Taiji Hall into a bustling marketplace. Meanwhile, Marquis Anyuan and the Duke of Wei, among others, stood there indifferently, not participating in either side's argument.
The emperor squinted at his courtiers' debate, as if the matter of choosing a crown prince had nothing to do with him. After a long while, he said, "Since you all hold your own opinions, let's discuss the matter of choosing a crown prince again."
He rose and left the Taiji Hall, the court officials respectfully seeing him off in unison, and then left one after another. Gu Jianbai watched the back of Marquis Anyuan walking ahead, pondering how to explain to him his behavior in court earlier.
Looking back now, he was a bit too reckless. Ge Xingwen had already said it was impossible, so what made him think he could do it? He only blamed himself for being so preoccupied with what he might do if Jiang Yu pushed him out of the running, and acting rashly.
"Marquis Anyuan." He quickened his pace to catch up with Marquis Anyuan and bowed to him.
Marquis Anyuan stopped and looked at him without saying a word. Gu Jianbai's back was covered in sweat again. He forced a smile and said, "This humble official acted rashly in the excitement, and I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Marquis Anyuan remained silent, simply watching him until large beads of sweat dripped from his forehead, before finally saying, "In the court, everyone expresses their opinions; what wrong have you done?"
"This humble official...this humble official truly meant no other thing," Gu Jianbai quickly added.
Marquis Anyuan glanced at him again, "Lord Gu, stand in your place."
With those words, Marquis Anyuan strode away. Gu Jianbai watched his retreating figure, wiping the cold sweat from his forehead with his sleeve, pondering Marquis Anyuan's words. For someone like him, born into poverty, surviving in the cracks of society, every step had to be carefully considered.
Marquis Anyuan naturally didn't care how anxious Gu Jianbai was. He left the palace and went directly to the Duke of Chu's residence. Jiang Yu hadn't slept all night, and she was still in bed when he arrived. Marquis Anyuan didn't have anyone wake Jiang Yu, but instead pulled Jiang Chengye aside and gave him some instructions.
It was almost noon when Jiang Yu finally got up. Knowing that Marquis Anyuan had been waiting for her for a long time, she immediately went to the front hall to see him. Seeing that she was in good spirits, Marquis Anyuan smiled and recounted in detail what had happened in court, then asked her how to deal with it.
Just as Jiang Yu was about to speak to him, her stomach growled. Marquis An Yuan smiled and said, "I'm hungry too. Let's talk while we eat."
Jiang Yu nodded and had lunch set out in the hall. While eating, she explained to him how to deal with the situation and what might happen during the reform process. She explained that reform inevitably harms the interests of some people, and that some will resist and do things that could disrupt the reform's progress.
In response, Jiang Yu did her best to come up with a solution. Of course, unexpected events may occur during the reform process, but that is unavoidable, and we will deal with them when they happen.
After listening to his solution, Marquis Anyuan frowned and pondered for a while before saying, "This reform involves too many interests, and there will definitely be many people who will obstruct it. If we try to resolve them one by one, I'm afraid we'll end up neglecting one thing for another."
Jiang Yu nodded, "So I want to make an example of someone from the start."
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